Raiders of Oakhurst

Find playtest PCs at: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/ExperienceCharacters.zipSynopsis: Answering a call for help from the town of Oakhurst, the PCs track a band of kobold raiders to their lair and find more than they bargained for.
Background: The young black dragon Nightscale has been looking for a way to expand her influence and her hoard for some years. When Varkaze, the leader of a hobgoblin band, approached her with tribute, she jumped at the chance to use the hobgoblins to grab territory. Nightscale, some hobgoblins, and a band of kobolds that the hobgoblins bullied into servitude set up an advance operating base near the thorp of Oakhurst. Varkaze immediately ordered the kobolds to begin exploring the territory to locate opportunities for plunder. True to their nature, the kobolds have been stealing chickens, killing livestock, and vandalizing property around Oakhurst. The villagers, simple farmers who have little experience in warfare, request help from a passing band of PCs
Adventure Hook: As they are passing through the small thorp of Oakhurst en route to another destination, Teren, the villager elder, beseeches them for help. Small monstrous creatures have been harassing Oakhurst at night, stealing chickens, killing sheep, breaking windows and fence posts, and otherwise making nuisances of themselves. The villagers haven’t seen the creatures except for red eyes glowing in the darkness, but the creatures left behind three-toed clawed track marked with lines indicating tails.

Scaling the Adventure: If there are 4or fewer PCs, make the following changes: reduced the number of kobold minions in area 1 by two; eliminate one kobold skirmisher from area 1D; Varkaze doe not join the fight in area 1; eliminate one hobgoblin archer from area 3; Reduce Nightscale’s hit points to 200 (she was wounded when out hunting).

Beginning the Adventure. As a playtest adventure, this adventure assumes the party starts off at the entrance to the kobold’s cave lair. If the DM wishes, the party can role-play the initial encounter with Teren in Oakhurst, which is a wide spot in the road where there is a run down inn and mill supporting a half dozen local farms. Teren relates the tale provided in the adventure hook, and offers the PCs 50 silver pieces and all the grain they can carry as a reward for dealing with the raiders – it isn’t much, but it’s all they can pull together, and there is no telling when a Borderland Guard patrol may arrive to help. An easily-followed trail of destruction leads two miles through forested hills to the east, terminating in a narrow cave opening at the base of a large stone massif. A dark, twisting passage that smells of dampness and fetid animal smells descends into the rock.
The PCs arrive at point A on the map.

Kobold Warren [500 to 650 XP]

1A. Common Room

You enter a large dank cave lit by a fire pit in the center, over which the carcasses of two chickens are slowly roasting. A narrow stream enters the cave from a descending passage directly opposite, forming a large pool against the northwest wall. To the left, a series of steps lead up to an ascending passage, while a narrower passage exist the cave to the far right.Terrain: The fire pit provides sufficient light for this chamber at to see the exits at points C and E. The fire pit is 5’ wide and a hazard to any creature that steps or falls in it (+5 Reflex, 1d6 fire damage per round). The stream is shallow, but counts as difficult terrain to cross. The steps up to the passage at C provide a combat advantage for any creature fighting an opponent on the floor below.

If the party has not been discovered (see Development, below), they see:

Development: A kobold sentry, Ichi-Ichi, keeps watch from an alcove to the right. If he detects the PCs entering, he rings an alarm gong and pulls a rope dropping clusters of caltrops from the ceiling to the points marked “X” on the map (+3 reflex, 1d4 damage unless care is taken to cross – treat as difficult terrain, double movement cost). He then springs to attack as the other kobolds grab their weapons. If the PCs enter undetected, Ichi-Ichi activates the alarm and caltrops in the first round he can act.

Str 8 (-1) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 10 (+0).
Con 11 (+0) Int 6 (-2) Cha 15 (+2).
Equipment hide armor, light shield, 3 spears, 2 sp.
1E. Across the narrow, cold stream that flows down from further up the cavern is a small level beach. The passage beyond it that ascends is unlit. The small pool serves the kobolds for drinking water, and from there the water seeps back underground to join an underground aquifer.

The Kobold King [600 XP]

This chamber is, if anything, even filthier than the others. Piles of dirty furs cover the floor, a plate of rancid meat festers in one corner, and the walls are covered in crude graffiti in a foreign tongue. A makeshift throne of rocks is piled against the far wall. A brazier of charcoal placed in front of the throne warms and lights the room, but does nothing to relieve the fetid animal stink.If for some reason the alarm did not sound, add:
A scrawny kobold with a tarnished brass crown sits on a pile of furs petting an enormous hairy black spider. The kobold looks up at you, eyes wide, and gulps in surprise.If the alarm has sounded, but no minion reached the room with a warning, and one of the PCs has Perception 15 or greater, read instead:
One pile of furs appears to be moving slightly, as if something were shivering under it.If a minion reached the room with a warning, read:
A giant spider suddenly leaps down from the ceiling at you!
This is the lair of Meepo, great king of this tribe of kobolds. He plays with his pet spider Ix to pass the time. If the alarm has sounded but he did not receive a warning, Meepo will have hidden under a pile of furs in the room, while Ix has climbed to the ceiling over the entryway. If a warning reached him, Meepo has retreated to Nightscale’s lair in area 4 via the secret passage (Perception 18 to detect), leaving Ix to guard his back.

Development: If present, Meepo pauses slightly while he tries to figure out what to do. If intimidated (DC 15), or presented with evidence that his minions have been defeated, he breaks down, offering his crown and telling a sob story about how he had just left his former home to found his own kobold empire when he encountered the hobgoblin wizard Varkaze, who enslaved his people and forced him to raid the human settlement. Meepo will ask to be set free, offering information on Varkaze’s location and guards, as well as his treasure (the worthless brass crown and a ruby worth 50 gp) in return. Meepo will attempt to conceal the existence of Nightscale, revealing it only under extreme duress (Intimidate or Diplomacy DC 23).
If the PCs attack, Meepo orders Ix to defend him, and then fights as best he can, attempting to escape to area 1 if possible. Ix fights only at Meepo’s orders, or to defend himself.
The graffiti on the walls is scrawled in Draconic using chicken’s blood, and says things like: “Bow Before Meepo!”, “Meepo the Great!”, “Meepo No Longer Dragon Tender!”, “Hobbos Suck Eggs!”, “Meepo Wise AND Good-looking” and similar nonsense.
Buried under the furs is also a leather tube containing a parchment scrawled in crude Draconic runes. Careful study indicates it is a map leading to a deep ravine some ten miles distant hiding a sunken structure; the runes state: “Meepo Great Tribe Home. Return One Day for Revenge!”.
Meepo, Kobold King

Across a narrow swiftly running stream, a moderate sized chamber is lit by a fire pit in the northeast corner. Odd banners of a red flag bearing a black fist of iron hand from the walls, and four bedrolls are placed about the periphery.If the alarm did not sound, add:
Four green-skinned humanoid creatures in armor sit around a large table set with maps, muttering in a foreign tongue.If the alarm did sound, add:
A table is turned on its side facing you, two green-skinned humanoids behind it drawing bows. Another in scale armor advances toward you swinging a flail as a fourth at the back of the room makes arcane motions with his staff.These hobgoblins have sworn service to Nightscale, and are the muscle behind the kobold raids. Four are present: the leader Varkaze, his lieutenant Vrak, and the archer Dormo and Gnarl. A second soldier is out of the area leading another kobold raid. The hobgoblins defend themselves immediately, fighting to the death.
Varkaze, Hobgoblin Warcaster Level 3 Controller (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid (goblin) xp 150

You enter an enormous chamber lit from above and below by the green and purple glow of phosphorescent lichen that line the walls, floor and ceiling. The sound of a splashing water draws your attention to the northwest corner of the chamber, where a waterfall plunges from an opening twenty feet up the wall into a large black lake that fills the majority of the chamber. A small stream drains the lake to a passage in the southeast corner. In the center of the lake is a small island. Behind the island, a ledge twenty feet up the north wall overlooks the entire chamber. The walls are covered in drawings that glow with phosphorescence, depicting a large creature flying out from a mountain shaped like a large tooth, accompanied by many small lizard creatures who are overwhelming human villages.If the PCs have somehow managed to make it this far without an alarm being sounded, add:
An long, black-scaled winged lizard lies snoring on the rocks of the island in the center of the lake.This is where Nightscale rests between hunts while her minions begin her reign of terror. It isn’t her lair, exactly – that lies some distance away at a mountain called the Stone Tooth (which a PC making a DC 20 History or Nature check can identify and locate from the cave drawings). .
Tactics: Nightscale dozes on the island until the alert is sounded, at which time she slips into the lake to attack from ambush. She opens the fight with her breath weapon, the initiates her cloud of darkness ability. She uses the lake surface to play hide and seek, popping up to attack a target then retreating. The lake is 10-20’ deep except within 5’ of the lake edge where it is 3’ deep – sufficient for Nightscale to hide herself, and difficult terrain for humanoid PCs. She fights until the PCs retreat, pursuing them until she sustains her first wound. If somehow brought to 50 hit points or fewer, she flies to the ledge at 5 to retreat.

The dragon's breath weapon recharges automatically, and the dragon uses it immediately.

Cloud of Darkness (standard; sustain minor; recharge 3 4 5 6) * Zone
Close burst 2: this power creates a zone of darkness that remains in place until the end of the dragon's next turn. The zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon. Any creature entirely within the area (except the dragon) is blinded.

The stream behind the waterfall originates from a spring deep in the rock.

Escape Route

The ledge above the lake leads to a smooth, water-worked ten-foot wide passage that leads upward.The passage beyond the ledge climbs steeply for 200’ until it opens to the sky on the north side of the stone massif. Nightscale uses this passage to go hunt or retreat from combat.
Ending the Adventure. With luck, the PCs have defeated the hobgoblins and kobolds and put a stop to Nightscale’s raids without falling to Nightscale herself – in which case Nightscale can become a recurring villain for a new 4E campaign. The residents of Oakhurst happily pay the indicated reward, and offer the party free room and board for a week at the inn. If the party defeated Nightscale herself, so much the better, but they were poorly rewarded for it. Other follow-on adventure possibilities then offer themselves:

- What happens when the remaining raid (one hobgoblin soldier, two kobold skirmishers, and six kobold minions) returns?

- Where is Nightscale’s hoard, and her lair? What below the Stone Tooth?

- Where did Meepo’s tribe come from?

Disclaimer: This adventure is based on preview material made available at the D&D Experience and published openly on the internet by Wizards of the Coast or scooped by fans. It is accurate to expected new edition rules only to the extent that the previews are accurate. The author is not an official 4E playtester, so he can’t tell you how the rules work beyond application of the rules information released to date. This adventure is not intended for publication or paid distribution – fans may use and/or freely distribute.